title: Spoken language production in adults: examining age-related differences in syntactic complexity.
abstract: The use of complex syntax in the spoken discourse of young, middle-aged, and older adults was examined. The purpose of the study was to determine if syntactic complexity would show an age-related decline. Language samples were elicited from healthy adults in their 20 s, 40 s, and 60 s (n=20 per group) using a conversational (CON) task and a peer conflict resolution (PCT) task. Each sample was transcribed, segmented into utterances, and coded for main clauses and all types of finite and non-finite subordinate clauses. The results indicated that all groups produced greater syntactic complexity during the PCR task than the CON task as measured by mean length of utterance, clausal density, and the use of left-branching clauses. Additionally, the groups did not differ on any syntactic measures for either task. It is concluded that syntactic complexity in spoken discourse remains stable during the years that span early, middle, and later adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Communication Disorders and Sciences Program, University of Oregon , Eugene, OR , USA.
authors.forename: Marilyn A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nippold
authors.forename: Paige M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Cramond
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hayward-Mayhew
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D008875:Middle Aged; D012660:Semantics; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D014705:Verbal Behavior; D014825:Vocabulary; D055815:Young Adult